Jeremiah 12
1 Yahweh, whenever I tell you that I am unhappy [about what is happening to me], you [always] act justly/fairly. So now allow me to ask about one more thing [that I do not understand]: Why are wicked people [often] very prosperous? Why do things go very well for dishonest/wicked people?
| أَنْتَ دَائِماً عَادِلٌ حِينَ أَعْرِضُ عَلَيْكَ دَعْوَايَ، وَلَكِنْ دَعْنِي أُحَدِّثُكَ بِشَأْنِ أَحْكَامِكَ: لِمَاذَا تُفْلِحُ طَرِيقُ الأَشْرَارِ؟ وَلِمَاذَا يَتَمَتَّعُ الْغَادِرُونَ بِالْعَيْشِ الرَّغِيدِ؟ | ١ |
2 You allow them to prosper like [MET] trees that grow tall and bear [a lot of] fruit. They [always] say [MTY] good things about you, but their hearts are [really] far from you.
| أَنْتَ غَرَسْتَهُمْ فَتَأَصَّلُوا وَنَمَوْا وَأَثْمَرُوا. اسْمُكَ يَتَرَدَّدُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِمْ، وَلَكِنَّهُ بَعِيدٌ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ. | ٢ |
3 But Yahweh, as for me, you know what is in my inner being. You see what I [do] and you are able to know what I am thinking. So drag away those [wicked] people, like [people drag away] sheep that they are going to butcher. Set them aside like sheep that are about to be slaughtered!
| أَنْتَ قَدْ عَرَفْتَنِي وَرَأَيْتَنِي وَامْتَحَنْتَ قَلْبِي مِنْ نَحْوِكَ. افْرِزْهُمْ كَغَنَمٍ لِلذَّبْحِ وَاعْزِلْهُمْ لِيَوْمِ النَّحْرِ. | ٣ |
4 This land is [RHQ] becoming very dry and even the grass is withering. The wild animals and the birds have [all] died because the people are [very] wicked. [All that has happened] because the people have said, “Yahweh does not know what we are doing (OR, what will happen to us)!”
| إِلَى مَتَى تَظَلُّ الأَرْضُ نَائِحَةً وَعُشْبُ كُلِّ حَقْلٍ ذَاوِياً؟ هَلَكَتِ الْبَهَائِمُ والطُّيُورُ مِنْ شَرِّ السَّاكِنِينَ فِيهَا الْقَائِلِينَ: «إِنَّهُ لَنْ يَرَى خَاتِمَةَ مَصِيرِنَا». | ٤ |
5 [Then to show me that I needed to be prepared to endure even greater difficulties, Yahweh said to me], [“It is as though] you have become exhausted from racing against men; so how will you be able to race against horses? If you [stumble and] fall when you are running on open/bare/smooth ground, what will happen to you when you are running through the thornbushes near the Jordan [River]?
| «إِنْ كُنْتَ قَدْ بَارَيْتَ الْمُشَاةَ فَأَعْيَوْكَ، فَكَيْفَ إِذاً تُبَارِي الْخَيْلَ؟ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَتَعَثَّرُ فِي أَرْضٍ مُطْمَئِنَّةٍ، فَكَيْفَ تَفْعَلُ فِي أَجَمَاتِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ؟ | ٥ |
6 [Already] your brothers and [other members of] your own family oppose you. They (plot against/plan to do evil things to) you and they say bad things about you. So even if they say nice things about you, do not trust them!
| حَتَّى إِخْوَتُكَ وَأَفْرَادُ أُسْرَتِكَ قَدْ تَنَكَّرُوا لَكَ، وَدَعَوْا عَلَيْكَ وَرَاءَكَ بِمِلْءِ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ. لَا تَأْتَمِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ خَاطَبُوكَ بِأَلْفَاظٍ مَعْسُولَةٍ. | ٦ |
7 I have abandoned my [Israeli] people, the people whom I chose to belong to me. I have allowed their enemies to conquer the Israeli people, whom I love.
| قَدْ نَبَذْتُ هَيْكَلِي وَهَجَرْتُ مِيرَاثِي، وَسَلَّمْتُ حَبِيبَةَ نَفْسِي إِلَى أَيْدِي أَعْدَائِهَا. | ٧ |
8 My people have become to me like [SIM] a lion in the forest. [It is as though] they roar at me like a lion, so now I hate them.
| قَدْ زَمْجَرَ عَلَيَّ شَعْبِي كَأَسَدٍ فِي غَابَةٍ. رَفَعَ عَلَيَّ صَوْتَهُ، لِهَذَا مَقَتُّهُ. | ٨ |
9 My chosen people have [RHQ] become like speckled hawks that are surrounded by vultures [waiting to eat their flesh after they are dead]. Tell all the wild animals to come and eat [the flesh of their corpses].
| هَلْ صَارَ شَعْبِي لِي كَطَيْرٍ جَارِحٍ مُنْقَضٍّ؟ وَهَلْ تَجَمَّعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْجَوَارِحُ مِنْ كُلِّ جِهَةٍ؟ هَلُمَّ احْشِدْ جَمِيعَ وُحُوشِ الْبَرِّ، وَادْعُهَا لِلأَكْلِ. | ٩ |
10 Many rulers [from other countries have come with their armies and] devastated/destroyed my people [whom I care for like a farmer takes care of his] vineyard. They have caused my beautiful land to become a barren desert where no one lives.
| قَدْ أَتْلَفَ رُعَاةٌ كَثِيرُونَ كَرْمِي، وَدَاسُوا نَصِيبِي الشَّهِيَّ وَجَعَلُوهُ بَرِّيَّةً جَرْدَاءَ. | ١٠ |
11 They have caused it to become completely empty; [it is as though] I hear the land crying sadly/mournfully. The whole land is desolate, and no one (worries about/pays any attention to) it.
| جَعَلُوهُ خَرَاباً، وَفِي خَرَابِهِ يَنُوحُ عَلَيَّ. أَصْبَحَتِ الأَرْضُ كُلُّهَا قَفْراً، لأَنَّهُ لَا يُوْجَدُ إِنْسَانٌ وَاحِدٌ يَحْفِلُ بِها. | ١١ |
12 The soldiers [of our enemies] have marched across all the barren hilltops. But [I], Yahweh, am using those armies [MTY] to punish your land from one end to the other, and no one will escape.
| قَدْ أَقْبَلَ الْمُدَمِّرُونَ وَانْتَشَرُوا عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْمُرْتَفَعَاتِ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ، لأَنَّ سَيْفَ الرَّبِّ يَلْتَهِمُ مِنْ أَقْصَى الأَرْضِ إِلَى أَقْصَاهَا، فَلا يَنْعَمُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ بِالسَّلامِ. | ١٢ |
13 [It is as though] my people planted wheat, but now they are harvesting thorns. They have become very tired [because of much hard work], but they have gained nothing [from all that work]. They will be very disappointed because their harvests [will be very small], [and that will happen] because [I], Yahweh, am extremely angry [with them].”
| زَرَعَ شَعْبِي حِنْطَةً وَحَصَدَ شَوْكاً. أَعْيَوْا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَلَكِنْ مِنْ غَيْرِ جَدْوَى، لِذَلِكَ يَعْتَرِيهِمِ الْخِزْيُ مِنْ قِلَّةِ غَلّاتِ مَحْصُولِهِمْ لِفَرْطِ احْتِدَامِ غَضَبِ الرَّبِّ». | ١٣ |
14 This is [also] what Yahweh said to me: “[I will punish] the evil nearby nations that have been trying to take away the land that I gave to my Israeli people, and I will force them to leave their own land. But I will throw the people of Judah out of their land, also.
| وَهَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ عَنْ جَمِيعِ جِيرَانِي الأَشْرَارِ الَّذِينَ يَمَسُّونَ الْمِيرَاثَ الَّذِي وَرَّثْتُهُ لِشَعْبِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: «هَا أَنَا أَقْتَلِعُهُمْ مِنْ أَرْضِهِمْ كَمَا أَقْتَلِعُ أَيْضاً شَعْبَ يَهُوذَا مِنْ وَسَطِهِمْ. | ١٤ |
15 But later I will act mercifully toward those nations again, and I will bring them back to their own lands again. Each [clan] will come back to its own land.
| وَلَكِنْ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَسْتَأْصِلَهُمْ، أَتَرأَّفُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَأُعِيدُهُمْ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ إِلَى مِيرَاثِهِ وَإِلَى أَرْضِهِ. | ١٥ |
16 And if the people [of the other nations whose armies have invaded Israel] learn the [religious] customs of my people, and if they learn that I [am listening] when they solemnly promise that they will do something good, like they taught my people to believe that [their god] Baal [was listening] when they made solemn promises, I will cause them to become prosperous, and they also will be my people.
| فَإِنْ تَلَقَّنَتِ الأُمَمُ طُرُقَ شَعْبِي بِاسْمِي، قَائِلِينَ:’حَيٌّ هُوَ الرَّبُّ‘، كَمَا عَلَّمُوا شَعْبِي أَنْ يَحْلِفُوا بِالْبَعْلِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ يَنْمُونَ وَسَطَ شَعْبِي. | ١٦ |
17 But I will expel any nation whose people refuse to obey me, and I will destroy that nation and its people. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
| وَلَكِنْ إِنْ رَفَضَتْ أَيَّةُ أُمَّةٍ الاسْتِمَاعَ، فَإِنِّي أَسْتَأْصِلُهَا وَأَقْتَلِعُهَا وَأُدَمِّرُهَا»، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ. | ١٧ |
